Bryce Harper

Harper seemed well on his way toward winning another MVP before he stepped on a slippery base in August and suffered a bone bruise to his knee. He finished 16th in average exit velocity (min. 200 at-b...

Harper hit .286/.406/.714 with nine home runs through March and April with more walks (17) than strikeouts (13), and opposing pitchers seemed afraid to challenge him, a trend that peaked in early May when the Cubs walked him six times over seven plate appearances in one game. Nagging injuries began to pile up though, particularly to his neck and shoulder, and by the second half he seemed to be a shell of his usual self as he hit just .226/.336/.373 with five home runs after the All-Star break. Harper recorded the first 20-20 season of his career and walked more than 100 times for the second straight year, but the end result wasn't close to what anyone expected. With a full offseason to rest and recover, Harper should be able to come out taking and raking in 2017, and given Trea Turner's emergence and the addition of Adam Eaton ahead of him in the order, health could be the only thing standing between Harper and another MVP-caliber campaign.

2016

After a couple of injury-plagued seasons, Harper's status as the Next Big Thing was in serious jeopardy, but he stayed healthy in 2015 and proceeded to post numbers far beyond anyone's expectations. When names like Babe Ruth and Ted Williams come up as comps for what Harper accomplished as a 22-year-old MVP last year, it's fair to say he had a pretty good campaign. His biggest improvement came not when he swung the bat, but when he didn't. Harper racked up 124 walks in 153 games after recording 155 free passes in 357 games during his first three seasons, with opposing pitchers often deciding their best course of action was simply to avoid giving him anything to hit at all. As he continues his development, Harper could start putting up walk totals that haven't been seen since Barry Bonds. Harper gave him a three-season head start, but he's now right back in the conversation with Mike Trout as the best young outfielder in the major leagues.

2015

Another season, another injury-plagued disappointment for Harper and his fantasy owners. Torn ligaments in his thumb kept him below 400 plate appearances, and even when he got back on the field, he didn't look much like a mythical wunderkind with a bat made of lightning. As the injuries pile up it's understandable to worry that he'll never become the player his draft table sticker price suggests, but don't jump off the bandwagon just yet. Over the last two months of the season, he hit 10 of his 13 home runs and looked much like the batter he was in 2013, and with an offseason to heal his thumb he should be able to come out launching bombs this April. Harper's still just 22 (nine months younger than Kris Bryant, to put that in perspective) with three major league seasons under his belt, and players with that resume are still far more likely to be stars than busts. Once he figures out the whole staying healthy business, the 40-plus home run seasons will come in bunches.

2014

You can't exactly say that Harper had a sophomore slump given that his OPS, walk and strikeout rates all improved, and his counting stats were nearly identical to those of his rookie season, despite the fact that he saw 100 fewer at-bats. However, owners who expected him to have a Mike Trout-like explosion in his second tour of duty were sorely disappointed. The all-world talent and relentless drive to improve are still there, but the big question with Harper is whether last season's injuries were a direct result of his full throttle playing style or simply bad luck. Given the potential rewards, it's hard not to gamble on the latter.

2013

The most amazing thing about Harper's basically unprecedented rookie season may not have been the raw numbers he put up, ridiculous as they were for a teenager in the majors, but the maturity he displayed. The kid who drew criticism in the minors for blowing kisses at opposing pitchers impressed everybody (including stodgy old-timers like Chipper Jones) with his respect for the game and his place in it, and no one has ever questioned Harper's drive to succeed. If his mental tools turn out to be as impressive as his physical ones, there may be no real ceiling on what he can accomplish. Of course intangibles do not win you fantasy championships, but building around 19-year-olds whose only meaningful comps are Hall of Famers like Ty Cobb, Al Kaline and Mel Ott just might.

2012

Harper spent most of 2011 in Low-A Hagerstown putting up an impressive .318/.423/.554 line with a .436 wOBA and 14 home runs. He finished the season playing 37 games for Double-A, but was not as successful posting a wOBA of .332. His strikeout rate of 19.2 percent needs to improve as his batting average might fluctuate due to BABIP. His season was cut short in Double-A because of a hamstring injury, but Harper returned from that ailment and hit .333/.400/.634 with six homers and 26 RBI over 25 games in the Arizona Fall League. Nationals manager Davey Johnson made a point in December to say that Harper has an opportunity to break camp as a big leaguer, but additional time at Double-A or Triple-A could be on tap before a midseason call to Washington.

2011

The first overall pick in 2010 did what he could to live up to the hype in a brief Arizona Fall League stint, hitting .343/.410/.629 in 35 at-bats, an impressive performance for an 18-year-old facing advanced competition. His 4:11 BB:K ratio gives a good indication of what Harper needs to work on when he begins his pro career in earnest at A-ball, but his mammoth power and uncanny hitting instincts could land him in Double-A before the season is over. The Nationals have no reason to rush him, of course, but the cocky youngster doesn't seem inclined to give them that option. A normal 18-year-old would be looking at something like a late 2013 big league debut, but with a once-in-a-generation talent like Harper we strongly suggest you bet the under on that.

2010

Signed a five-year deal worth a guaranteed $9.9 million with the Nationals in August 2010.